Dishoom

Dishoom is a group of Bombay-style cafés in London, England, modelled on the old Irani cafés that once dotted Mumbai. The original opened in Covent Garden, and further branches now operate in areas such as Shoreditch, King's Cross, Kensington, Carnaby and Canary Wharf, each fitted out with a different period interior of dark wood, tiled floors, ceiling fans and vintage photographs. The kitchen focuses on Indian street food and café classics rather than the heavy restaurant curries common on British high streets. The house black daal, simmered for around 24 hours, is the emblematic dish and appears on nearly every table. Other staples include chicken ruby, a tomato-and-butter curry, lamb raan, okra fries, pau bhaji and the sweet-and-sour Bombay-style fruit chaat. Breakfast is a major draw, with the bacon or sausage naan roll, akuri scrambled eggs and sweet chai among the most ordered items. The drinks list pairs Indian-spiced cocktails and Bombay-influenced beer and wine with refillable house chai, and a number of branches run a dedicated cocktail menu in the evening. The atmosphere is busy, warm and noisy, with an after-work crowd at dinner and families at weekend brunch. There is no formal dress code. Reservations are accepted at most branches for smaller groups, but peak slots, especially Friday and Saturday evenings and weekend brunch, fill days ahead, and walk-in queues of 30 to 90 minutes are common at central sites. Walk-in parties are usually asked to leave a name and wait nearby, and many branches also hold a share of tables back for walk-ins. Typical spend is roughly £15 to £30 per person for a meal with a drink, making it good value for central London. Visitors who arrive outside peak hours, particularly mid-afternoon, usually find a table quickly. Each branch keeps its own opening hours, so confirm times on the day.